Terminal housing



Sept. 15, 1964 H. L. KITSELMAN 3,149,198

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IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent 3,149,198 TERMINAL HQUSENG Harry L. Kitseiman, Muncie, ind, assignor to Indiana Steel 8: Wire Company, Inc, Muncie, End, a corporation of Indiana 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 251,666

, 4 Claims. (Cl. 174-52) This invention relates to terminal housings of the kind commonly used, for example, to enclose and protect the connection between an underground telephone cable and an above-ground branch or extension thereof. Such housings commonly embody a base and a removable cover cooperating with the base to provide an enclosure for a terminal block, which may be removably supported from the base. A loop of the underground cable is brought above ground and into the housing along with the end of the branch or extension, and the conductors of the latter are connected to appropriate conductors of the cable through binding posts on the terminal block. It is the object of this invention to simplify and improve the construction of such terminal housings, especially with respect to the means employed in holding the removable cover in place.

A terminal housing embodying the invention has a general parallelepipedal form, the back and bottom walls of which'may be integral with each other to constitute a base adapted to be secured to an appropriate support. The side, front, and upper walls of the housing are integral with each other and constitute a cover movable into and out of position on the base by vertical sliding movement. The terminal block is mounted on a vertically extending support the lower end of which is received in an opening in a bracket projecting forwardly from the rear wall of the housing and the upper end of which is provided with an extension having an intermediate portion secured to the back wall and an upper portion projecting forwardly from the back wall beneath the upper wall of the cover. A screw extending through a clearance opening in the cover is threadedly received in the upper extension portion to hold the cover in place, and secured to thescrew immediately beneath the upper wall is an abutment collar which, when the screw is unscrewed, engages the upper wall of the cover and forces the cover to move upwardly to initiate its removal.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a terminal housing with no wiring in place, showing the terminal block in side elevation;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section showing the wiring in place and the terminal block in front elevation;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of FIG. 1. i

The terminal housing shown in the drawing embodies a base comprising a rear wall and a bottom wall 11 projecting forwardly from the rear wall at the lower end thereof. The rear wall is provided with openings for the reception of screws 12 by means of which the base may be attached to appropriate support, such as a pole 13. The side edges of the rear Wall 10 are bent to extend forwardly as flanges 14 formed to provide outwardly presented, vertically extending grooves 15 the purpose of which will become apparent hereinafter.

The removable cover which cooperates with the base to provide a complete enclosure comprises a body portion 20, which is channel-shaped in cross-section to provide side and front walls, and a cap 21 having a downwardly projecting peripheral flange 22 which overlaps the walls of the body and is rigidly secured thereto as by 3,149,198 Patented Sept. 15, 1%34 welding. Along its rear edge the flange 22 overlaps the rear wall In as will be clear from FIG. 1. The vertical edges of the body 20 are bent inwardly to form flanges 23 slidably received in the grooves 15 of the base. Desirably, the cover is so formed that when it is in place the edges of the flanges 23 bear resiliently against the bottom of the grooves 15.

Projecting forwardly from the rear wall 10 above the bottom wall 11 is a bracket 24 having a transverse slot adapted to receive the lower end 25 of a terminal-block support 26. Conveniently, the support 26 is of channel. section and its lower end 25 is a tongue constituting an extension of the channel-web. To the upper end of the support 2a is secured, as by welding, an extension 27 having an intermediate portion 23 rearwardly offset to engage the wall 16 and an upper portion or finger 29 projecting forwardly from the rear wall ill beneath the cap 21. A terminal block 31 of insulating material supporting binding posts 32 interconnected in pairs by metal strips 33 is secured to the front face of the support 25 as by screws 34 extending through a slot in the support. A screw 36 extends through the offset portion 28 into threaded association with the rear wall Iii to hold the support 26 and the terminal block in place.

To hold the cover in closed position, a screw 37 extends through a clearance opening in the cover and into threaded association with the finger 29. Conveniently, the screw 37 is received in a nut 38 Welded or otherwise secured to the lower face of finger 29. Immediately beneath the cover 21 an abutment collar 39 is secured to the screw 37 as by crimping or cementing. When it is desired to remove the cover, the screw 37 is unscrewed, the abutment collar 39 engaging the lower surfaces of the cap 21 and forcing the cover upwardly. Desirably, the screw 37 has a length such that it may thus force the cover upwardly to a point such that a screw-driver or other prying implement may be inserted between the lower edge of the flange 22 and the upper end of the read wall it to facilitate further upward movement and complete removal of the cover.

At its rear edge, the bottom wall 11 is notched to receive the upper end of a channel-like protector 41 which is secured against the face of the pole 13 to enclose and protect a loop of the underground cable brought into the housing. The bottom wall 11 has an additional opening for passage of the branch or extension line, such opening desirably receiving a rubber grommet 42.

FIG. 2 illustrates the wiring in place within the housing. As there indicated, a loop 45 of the underground cable is brought upwardly through the bottom wall 11 and, over the upper portion of such loop, the usual sheaths are removed. Conductors, indicated at 46, which are to be tapped are separated for a distance from the cablebody, stripped, and applied to binding posts 32. An above-ground extension 47 is brought through the grommet 42 and its wires 48 are applied to appropriate binding posts 32, to connect them respectively to the conductors 46. Application of the extension wires and cable conductors to the binding posts 32 may be effected with the terminal block 31 and its support 26-27 removed from association with the base 10-11, in which event, after the application is concluded, the tongue 25 is inserted into the slot in the bracket 24 and the screw 28 applied to secure the terminal block and its support in position.

Commonly, underground cables such as that illustrated include an electroconductive, grounded sheath the electrical continuity of which is interrupted in removing the sheath from the upper end of the loop, and it therefore becomes necessary to bridge such discontinuity. This is conveniently done by applying wires 56) to the separated sheath-ends and connecting those wires together and to 3 the base -11 by means hereinafter described. If the extension 47 includes a ground line such as is indicated at 51, it may be connected to the base 10-11 by the same means.

Connection of the ground wires 50 and 51 to each other and to the base is desirably effected through the bracket 24 which, for that purpose, is provided near its outer end with an opening 53. A connector 54 in the form of an externally threaded, cylindrical body has a deep axially extending slot 55 wide enough to receive the metal of the bracket 24 between the opening 23 and the outer end of the bracket. A nut 56 on the connector 54 has associated with it a follower 57 which is received in A the slot 55. The follower has a head portion which lies above the nut 56 and projects outwardly beyond the sides of the connector 54 to overlie the upper surface of the nut. To prevent separation of the nut and follower, the lower end of the latter may be split and swaged outwardly to provide fingers 59. The ground wires 50 and 51 may be inserted either between the head of the follower and the lower surface of the bracket 24 or between the upper surface of such bracket and the base of the slot in the connector.

If, in accordance with one feature of this invention, the opening 53 in the bracket 24 is so dimensioned that its side and outer edges are equally spaced from the side and outer ends of the bracket 24, the connector 54 may be applied either in the full-line position shown in FIG. 3 or in either of the two dotted-line positions there indicated.

Before the cover 2021 is applied to the base to enclose the connections effected in the manner above described, the upper end of the cable-loop may be anchored, as by tape 60, to the finger 29. To protect the cable conductors, the finger 29 is desirably coated with an insulating coating 61.

The cover is applied to the base by positioning it thereabove with the lower ends of the cover-flanges 23 received in the grooves and then forcing the cover down: wardly until the screw 37 enters the nut 38. Thereafter, tightening of such screw will force the cover downwardly into its final position. To release the cover, screw 37 is unscrewed, the abutment collar 39 forcing the cover upwardly to break any adhesions such as might have formed between the flanges 23 and the walls of the grooves 15 as a result of corrosion or other causes. As previously noted, the screw 37 is desirably long enough to raise the cover to a point such that, if necessary, a prying implement can be inserted between the cap-flange 22 and the rear wall ltl. Since application of effort from the screw to the cap 10 imposes distorting stresses on the cap, it may be stiffened by forming it with stifiening ribs 62 radiating from the hole through which the screw 37 passes.

It wil be understood that my housing is not limited in use to cases in which it provides for and incloses the connection between a continuous cable and an above-ground branch thereof, as it may also be used for example where the branch is of the underground type or where the ends of two buried cables are to be spliced. In the latter two cases, all conductors might enter or leave the housing through the channel 41. Because of the possibility of uses such as the two last mentioned, the grommet 42 may be formed with a thin web 42 which will serve as a barrier to moisture and insects but which can readily be punctured to permit passage of any above-ground extension or branch.

I claim:

1. In a terminal housing for use in association with underground electrical cables, a base comprising a rear wall and adapted to be secured to a support, a cover comprising front, side, and top walls, said base and the side walls of said cover having interfitting provisions guiding the cover for vertical sliding movement on the base, a terminal-block support, means for releasably mounting said terminal-block support on said base, said terminalblock support including a rigid finger projecting forwardly from said base beneath said top wall, a vertical screw extending through said top wall and screw-threadedly received in said finger, said screw having a head above said top wall and an abutment collar beneath said top wall, whereby the cover will be forced downwardly by rotation of the screw in one direction and upwardly by rotation of the screw in the other direction.

2. In a terminal housing for use in association with underground electrical cables, a base comprising a rear wall and adapted to be secured to a support, a cover comprising front, side, and top walls, said base and the side walls of said cover having interfitting provisions guiding the cover for vertical sliding movement on the base downwardly into and upwardly out of a closed position, and a vertical screw, extending through said top wall into a nut supported from said base, said screw having a head above said top wall and an abutment collar beneath said top wall, said screw being long enough that a substantial portion of its length remains for engagement with the nut when the cover is in closed position and the screw has been retracted far enough to bring said collar into engagement with said top wall, whereby the cover will be forced downwardly by rotation of the screw in one direction and upwardly for a substantial distance by rotation of the screw in the other direction.

3. A terminal housing as set forth in claim 1 with the addition of a bracket supported from said base, said bracket having an opening removably receiving the lower end of said support, said support having below the finger and well above said bracket a rearwardly offset intermediate portion engaging said rear wall, and means for releasably securing said intermediate portion to said rear wall.

4. A terminal housing as set forth in claim 3 with the addition that said bracket is provided near its forward 7 end with an opening, and a connector for connecting a wire to said bracket, said connector comprising a vertically extending body provided with a deep slot dividing its lower portion into two legs, one of which extends through said opening, the sideand forward edges of said opening being equally spaced from the sides and forward end of the bracket, whereby the connector may be applied to the bracket alternatively at either side or at the end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 637,894 Procunier Nov. 28, 1899 1,265,744 Canfield May 14, 1918 2,281,515 Ruggieri Apr. 28, 1942 2,460,613 Whelan Apr. 12, 1945 

2. IN A TERMINAL HOUSING FOR USE IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL CABLES, A BASE COMPRISING A REAR WALL AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A SUPPORT, A COVER COMPRISING FRONT, SIDE, AND TOP WALLS, SAID BASE AND THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID COVER HAVING INTERFITTING PROVISIONS GUIDING THE COVER FOR VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT ON THE BASE DOWNWARDLY INTO AND UPWARDLY OUT OF A CLOSED POSITION, AND A VERTICAL SCREW EXTENDING THROUGH SAID TOP WALL INTO A NUT SUPPORTED FROM SAID BASE, SAID SCREW HAVING A HEAD ABOVE SAID TOP WALL AND AN ABUTMENT COLLAR BENEATH SAID TOP WALL, SAID SCREW BEING LONG ENOUGH THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF ITS LENGTH REMAINS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE NUT WHEN THE COVER IS IN CLOSED POSITION AND THE SCREW HAS BEEN RETRACTED FAR ENOUGH TO BRING SAID COLLAR INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TOP WALL, WHEREBY THE COVER WILL BE FORCED DOWNWARDLY BY ROTATION OF THE SCREW IN ONE DIRECTION AND UPWARDLY FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BY ROTATION OF THE SCREW IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. 